Click Image to EnlargeHead coach Nick Papanicolas (left) won his 100th career game last season and set up 10 home games for fans to come out and support the 2014 Wildcats. Copyright 2013; Wilmington University. All rights reserved. Photo by James Jones

As an encore to winning its first NCAA East Regional Tournament match last season, the Wilmington University men’s soccer team will play in front of its home crown on separate occasions as head coach Nick Papanicolas announced the 2014 schedule.

A header in the 105th minute in the first round of the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Post propelled the Wildcats to the program’s and the CACC’s first ever postseason win. Papanicolas hopes the excitement of that feeling carries into a fresh start in 2014.

Entering his 11th season at the helm of the Wildcats, Papanicolas scheduled a busy campaign for his Wildcats, hoping to catch the eye of the CACC and the regional committee to push them through into the NCAA Tournament.

The 2014 year starts in front of the home crowd, as the Wildcats welcome the District of Columbia on September 6 at the WU Athletics Complex. The home fans have another chance to catch the Wildcats in action before they hit the road on September 10 against Shippensburg.

The Shippensburg match starts a string of six games in 10 days, with the first road match of the year coming on September 12 at West Chester. The team will also head to Dowling for a nonconference game on September 14 before returning home to start the CACC season against Holy Family on September 16.

A trip to Felician on September 18 stands in the way of Homecoming for the Wildcats, as they host Concordia in the nightcap of the soccer doubleheader on September 20, capping the six games in 10 days extravaganza.

September rounds out with another home game against Chestnut Hill on September 24 and a road contest at Caldwell on September 27.

October doesn’t get any easier for the Wildcats, as they start the month on the road against rival Post on the fourth, a team in which they faced three times last year, going 1-2, including being eliminated by in the CACC Tournament. Post finished 15th nationally in the coaches poll last season.

The team will host one of the nation’s best in LIU Post on October 8 in nonconference action while also hosting Bridgeport to round out its nonconference portion of the schedule later in the month. LIU Post finished eighth nationally in the coaches poll last season.

The Wildcats host Bloomfield, Nyack, and Georgian Court in CACC contests throughout October while hitting the road to take on Goldey-Beacom, Dominican, and Philadelphia to close out the conference contests.

The regular season is preparation for the postseason, starting with the CACC Tournament Quarterfinals on November 4. The four winners of the quarterfinals will move onto the CACC Tournament Semifinals that will be played at Post University in Waterbury, Conn., on November 6. A champion will be crowned on November 8 with the CACC Championship, also at Post University.

With no automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats will need a strong start to the season and carry that momentum into CACC play to once again be voted into further postseason play.